Addilyn's 2nd Birthday Bubble Bash!

Hooray, it's party time again! Our spunky little Addilyn had her 2nd birthday party this past weekend, and I think it's safe to say it was SO. MUCH. FUN. After the party, Addilyn came over to Jeff and I and told us, "I'm so happy!" I think that means the party was a success. 

For this year's theme I decided to go with something simple. Bubbles!!! I mean, who doesn't love bubbles!?! Addilyn could play with bubbles for hours on end, so this seemed like the perfect theme. 

First off, the decorations. Of course I always have a little too much fun with decorations. ;)

This might have been my favorite part of the decor- 40 glass ornaments hanging above the table as "bubbles!"

 

 

 

And then the food....

 

 As the party guests arrived, they ate, mingled, and the kids played with the bubbles at the bubble station as well as jumped on the trampoline and played with the roller coaster!

 

Once everyone had their food, and enjoyed the bubble station, our first activity was bubble snakes!!!  These are the coolest, most simple activity. My kids and I do these all the time and they are so entertained by them. Here's what you need: water bottles, terry cloth, and a rubber band. Stick these little contraptions in some bubble solution, BLOW! and out comes a bubble snake!!! SO. COOL.

 The kids (and the adults!) really loved these! I had to pry them away for the next activity, and even then I only got a few kids away.The bubble snakes were quite the hit.

 

Of course, looking back at my picrtures now, I didn't get a great picture of an actual bubble snake. Guess that means you just gotta get out the kid in you and make one for yourself to see how cool they. Trust me, you won't be disappointed!

Next activity: BUBBLE WRAP DANCE FLOOR! YAY!

Most the kiddos were still busy with all the bubble fun ourside, but this was defintely Lukas' favorite activity. It took everything in me to restrain myself from dancing and popping the bubble wrap with them- this looked like so much fun! They danced to the Chipmunks version of "Party Rock Anthem" and of course a little "Let it Go" by Demi Lavato. And amazingly, this bubble wrap lasted that whole time. I was shocked. It was like the ever-lasting bubble wrap and it was great.

Next up, the giant bubble activity! This was so great! The kids took turns standing on the stool in the middle of the bubble solution, and Jeff lifted the hula hoop over their heads, bringing a huge bubble up and around the kids! I love these pictures... They could have done this forever.









We even got Auntie Joleen, Daddy, AND GREAT GRANDMA in on the fun!

              Isn't that picture just the best of Great-Grandma! Haha. SO. AWESOME!

And next, we sang to the birthday girl, she blew out her candles, ate cake and cake pops AND then opened the mountain of presents. 

Ah, Addilyn was so happy! Isn't that what this is all about anyways? Yes, yes, it is. 

Aaaaaand that's a wrap on the bubble party. Hope you all have a beautiful sunny day and I hope I inspired you to go blow some bubbles and enjoy the little moments.... 

The Best Ever Cinnamon Rolls

So I love Cinnamon Rolls. I've tried several recipes over the years and this is my own personal recipe I've created from all my favorite recipes- taking the best of each and making one master plan. I made these this morning for a play-date and was inspired to do a post with the recipe. I get asked for the recipe a lot, so, here ya go! Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:

1 package of yeast, dissolved in 1/2 cup lukewarm water

3 Tablespoons of coconut oil

1/2 cup granulated sugar

5 cups of unbleached all purpose flour (it will probably take a little more)

1 cup hot water

1 egg, beaten

1/2 Tablespoon salt

1 stick of butter

Lots of brown sugar 

Lots of cinnamon

Directions:

1. Add yeast to cup of lukewarm water and sprinkle in a little sugar. Set aside for about 5 minutes. 

2. Add coconut oil, sugar, & salt to hot water and allow to cool to lukewarm- making sure all the coconut oil has melted. Stir in 1 cup of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast & mix again until smooth. Add in beaten egg.

3. Stir in remainder of flour, a little at a time until no more can be mixed in. Knead by hand, adding flour until the dough does not stick to the bowl. Remove from bowl and knead until the dough feels satiny and looks smooth. 

4. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise about 30 minutes. (No less than 30, No more than 1 hr.) Lightly knead and roll out into a rectangular shape. Melt the butter slightly (about 15-20 seconds in the microwave!) and evenly spread the entire stick over the dough. Sprinkle with A LOT of brown sugar. And A LOT of cinnamon. I never measure mine, but I use a lot. Here's a picture to kinda see how much I use... Be very generous!

5. Roll into one long roll. Use a sharp serrated  knife to cut each cinnamon roll. I usually make approx. 8 rolls from this. You can cut them smaller if you want more!

 

6. Place on a baking sheet and let rise. I've let mine rise as short as 30 minutes, and as long as 90 minutes. This often depends on when I want them done cooking, so adjust according to your time frame. I wouldn't go longer than 90 minutes if you don't want GINORMOUS rolls, however. ;) (PS this is the BEST backing pan ever! It might look a little gnarly- trust me its clean. Its the Pampered Chef stone baking pan- my baked goods have never turned out so wonderful!)

 

7. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and back for an additional 8 minutes to brown the tops. 

8. Eat. Enjoy. And Eat Some More.